Gateway Commerce Center

Formed after the 2021 tornado that killed six Amazon employees in Edwardsville, the task force is required to submit the report to the Illinois General Assembly by Jan. 1, 2025.

While the exterior of the warehouse was nearly complete about a year after the tornado hit, construction crews have since worked on the interior of the delivery station.

Like other employers, Madison County Transit is struggling to hire drivers. To avoid burning out employees, Managing Director SJ Morrison said MCT will reduce routes in low-traffic areas.

Madison County Transit will spend a combined $45 million for the county’s bike trails and bus system. The county will add 20 miles of trails, two tunnels and seven bridges.

Amazon officials say they are taking steps to make their workplaces safer, including better training.

The federal workplace safety agency has been investigating the deaths of six people at the facility since a tornado hit it in December.

There aren’t local or statewide rules in Illinois ensuring workers in the nearly 30 warehouses surrounding the Amazon facility that collapsed in December will be any safer the next time a tornado strikes the St. Louis region.

The average estimated cost of a new warehouse building in Edwardsville was more than $16 million in the past five years. A tornado shelter adds less than 2% to that overall cost.

Warehousing in the region saw big gains with changing consumer habits, while hospitality and tourism-related businesses are struggling to increase staffing ahead of a likely busy tourist season.

Leaders in a Metro East County are taking a proactive approach to anticipated changes by the new administration in Washington, D.C. Massive infrastructure…